Disorders of the Nervous System
Author: Ángel Javier Tabullo | email: angeljtabullo@gmail.com
Ángel Javier Tabullo 1°, Jessica Adriana Del Punta 2°, Francisco Iacionis 3°, Gustavo Gasaneo 3°
1° INCIHUSA, CCT-MENDOZA, CONICET
2° DEPARTAMENTO DE MATEMÁTICA, UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL SUR
3° IFISUR, UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL SUR
4° CENTRO INTEGRAL DE NEUROCIENCIAS APLICADAS
This study examined the eye-tracking correlates of visual attention and executive function on a young adult ADD subject. The patient was a 18 year old male diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD, predominantly innatentive subtype) and anxiety. He completed neuropsychological assessment before starting treatment (metilfenidate and psychotherapy) and after two months. In addition, computerized versions of two sustained and selective attention tests were administered: Trail making test A – TMTA and Perception of Differences (CARAS). His eye movements were recorded with aportable eye-tracker. Improvement in TMTA performance by time 2 is supported by several parameters, including a faster total time, increased average speed (per item), and a reduction in the number of fixations. In addition, fixations became more efficient (7% more on-target, 2% less repetitions). Moreover, specific parameters suggest a better working memory performance: within-trial fixation repetition and fixation on previous numbers were reduced by 6% and 5%, respectively. Regarding CARAS, the number of fixations required to solve the items was significantly reduced. These changes were accompanied by an improvement on executive test scores and clinical symptoms. The results highlight the potential of eye-tracking to detect subtle and specific changes in cognitive performance on ADD patients, acting as a complement to neuropsychological evaluation and a potential biomarker of treatment outcome.